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“You sure you wanna be here?” Vir asked as he walked through the ancient Godshollow with Maiya and Neel.

Their boots crunched on the dry leaves that blanketed the forest floor. Thousand-year-old trees the width of Vir’s home towered over them, disappearing into the sky. He breathed it all in—the musky scent of fallen leaves, the smell of ancient bark, and the sweet morning dew. The forest never failed to fill him with inner peace.

Maiya, on the other hand, was not at peace. Not at all.

She currently had both arms wrapped around his left bicep, clinging to him like a lost puppy. Though she was carrying his gear, so maybe not exactly like a lost puppy. A lost Ash’va, then, he thought, snickering. His personal beast of burden. Vir shook the thought. That was incredibly mean of him.

“W-well, you’ve heard the stories about the Ghost of Godshollow,” she whispered, peering into the surrounding woods.

“Just a myth,” Vir lied, ducking beneath a branch that had fallen decades before he was even born. “If there really was a white ghost, father and the other lumberjacks would’ve seen it by now, don’t you think?”

He’d heard demonic voices in these woods for as long as he could remember. Occasional whispers, nonsensical words, and sometimes even cries of panic. He’d learned to keep this information to himself. The last thing he needed was to give the villagers more reasons to label him a weirdo.

And now, the new voices in his head whispered on top of the old ones. Reinforcing them, augmenting them somehow. The voices were greatest near the mighty Godhollows. As he’d seen in the temple, they’d grown louder in his head when he approached Magic Candle and other powered utility orbs. Unpowered orbs didn’t have the same effect. Notably, the nature of the voices were different between the orbs and the Godhollows. As if they were saying different words.

Maiya narrowed her eyes. “Maybe the ghost doesn’t want to be found. Did you ever think about that? Did you? Bet you didn’t.”

Neel barked, as if he agreed with her.

Vir rolled his eyes. This wasn’t the first time Maiya had accompanied him into the Godshollow, despite her fear of the fabled ghost. He realized years ago that she actually enjoyed the sense of danger. And how could he blame her? Thrills were few in a backwater like Brij. That suited Vir just fine, but his friend craved a bit more excitement.

“I’ve been here more times than I can count, Maiya. The worst thing that ever happened to me was a broken ankle. Nothing’s going to happen. Don’t worry,” he repeated for the tenth time.

They soon arrived at a clearing in the forest where his father and a handful of other lumberjacks were currently working. Ash’va and wagons dotted the work site, and suddenly, Maiya’s fears seemed to melt away.

She really was born a city girl, thought Vir.

“Ah, Vir! Good timing, boy,” a great bear of a man in dirty overalls shouted, hailing him with an arm the size of a tree trunk. “Come help me out here, will ya? Oh? Your friend’s ‘ere too, eh?”

“Ho there, uncle!” Maiya said, running up to the large, bearded man who beamed at her words.

“Not yer uncle!” he grumbled, but his smile betrayed him. “Here to do some lumberjackin’, Crimson?” he said, using the monicker he’d given her many years ago.

“If you want me to, sure!” Maiya said, flexing her bicep. “I was just gonna watch you two work.”

“Ha! I make you work ‘n Aliscia’ll have my head!” Rudvik replied. “By the way… Did you, uh… Did ya, y’know?”

Vir’s expression told him everything he needed to know about the results of his magic test.

“Ah. I see. Still time, Vir. Still time yet,” Rudvik replied.

“It’s okay, father. It’s fine. Really,” Vir said, setting his pack down. He got straight to work, setting Weaken Object Utility orbs all around the tree trunk that Rudvik was working on, positioning and repositioning them in accordance with the others. While the orbs weren’t nearly as valuable as a combat orb, they’d cost Rudvik most of what he had, purchased back when Vir was born. They lacked the strength to fell a Godhollow, but there were plenty of smaller trees that grew in the space between the great giants.

Here again, the voices spoke something to him about Weak Object. Once again different from the other voices. Vir felt like he was slowly piecing together a puzzle. A puzzle that, once finished, might give him the answer to his path to magic. It was a fool’s hope, of course. But hope was a tough flame to quench.

“Do you really have to be that fussy about their placement?” Maiya asked with curiosity.

Vir nodded. “You gotta get the orbs just right to get the tree to fall in just the right way.”

“But as ya can see, we need a whole bucket full of ‘em, bein’ as weak as they are,” Rudvik said.

The lumberjack had spent a small fortune on the orbs, but they were necessary in his line of work. He’d never be able to make a living if he took the time to chop each tree by hand.

“Figures, I suppose,” Maiya said, tapping her index finger against her chin. “D Grade Utility orbs can only do so much. But can you imagine how powerful they’d be if you could weaken a tree like that with a single orb!?”

“Then they’d be combat orbs, wouldn't they?” Vir said with a smirk. He could always count on magic talk to fix Maiya’s mood or get her to forget her fears.

When the task was finally done, Maiya and Vir stepped away to allow Rudvik to power the orbs. He swung his ax into the trunk a few times to score it, then touched each orb in turn, powering them.

Once finished, he then walked over to Vir and Maiya, who stood near a spot with the fewest orbs; the tree would fall away from that spot… if all went well.

Neel ran around excitedly, occupying everyone’s attention as they waited.

Vir took the opportunity to inform Rudvik about his encounter with the Child of Ash. The lumberjack was so infuriated that his face turned red.

“Unacceptable! I’m gonna hunt down this mongrel with Apramor. Can’t have their ilk in our village,” he shouted, startling the teens.

“Uh, thanks father, but I think the guardsmen are handling it,” he said, but he was secretly happy at Rudvik’s words. His father was one of the few people who ever got angry for Vir’s sake.

Crack!

The tree trunk protested as the orbs slowly drained away its load bearing capacity. The tree paused for a breath, then began to fall. Slowly at first, then faster as it leaned more and more, finally impacting the earth with a great crash.

Rudvik clapped his gloved hands. “Welp, that be one. Let’s get these chopped and loaded. Then ye can head back home with yer friend,” he said with a wink.

“Understood, father… and thanks!”

“Well o’course! Can’t keep you on yer big day now, can I? Also, I, er… well, consider it my gift. Not much o’ a gift, I know…” the big man said, looking away as he scratched the back of his head.

Vir shook his head. “Oh no, this is plenty. Thanks, father!”

Rudvik was visibly relieved at his words, and Vir echoed his father’s relief. Money was always tight. He’d been worried sick that Rudvik might do something reckless, like buying him an expensive present.

Vir placed the Weaken Object orbs on the felled tree, allowing Rudvik to saw through it with ease. Once done, it was just a matter of setting Lighten Load orbs onto the chopped logs to load them onto the wagon Rudvik had nearby.

“That oughta be everythin’,” he said once they were done. “Have fun on yer day off! And be safe!”

“We will, father!”

“See ya later, uncle!”

The two friends jumped onto the wagon and he grabbed the reins, giving Bela and Garga the signal to start. Their muscular, four legged Ash’va beasts of burden had been a part of the household for as long as Vir could remember. With smooth and shiny gray fur, pointy ears, and large pink snouts, they were docile—but powerful—creatures. And, Vir thought, kinda cute as well.

The two Ash’va began plodding along the forest path back to Brij. It wasn’t all that far, but with the load they pulled, they weren’t exactly fast, either.

Vir retrieved a sack of pebbles and began throwing them at random objects beside the road. Rocks, plants, tree trunks. Every subsequent throw was faster than the last, striking smaller and farther targets, until Vir was hitting rocks as small as eyeballs.

He only missed a handful.

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“Is that fun?” Maiya asked with an abundance of skepticism.

Neel, on the other hand, eyed each pebble with rapt enthusiasm.

“More fun than being kicked around or mugged.”

“That was inconsiderate. I'm sorry—”

“It’s fine. The bullies know how far they can go. They don’t like prey that has teeth. Not one bit. These days, they just sic their bandies on me, but it turns out bandies don’t like rocks in their eyes, either. And y’know? If you get good at it, you can even make a song, of sorts. It’s kinda nice.”

He threw pebble after pebble with precision, creating a percussive melody as they went. The beasts of burden neighed once he really started getting into it.

“See? Even the Ash’va like it!”

“Mmm lemme try!” Maiya said, grabbing a pebble and throwing it.

Her pebble missed its intended tree by several paces, prompting a smirk from Vir. Maiya grumbled and picked up another one, but that also went wide. “This is so hard! How the heck are you so good at this?”

Vir laughed. “Practice. Hours upon hours of practice…”

They arrived at Brij a half hour later. Vir groaned when he spied a bunch of village kids loitering on the road. Akros’ son, Camas, and his goons.

His home was on the edge of the village, which could mean only one thing—they were here for him. Vir flipped up his robe’s hood, but it was too late.

“Oi, look! It’s Red Eyes! Fancy seein’ you around here!” Camas shouted.

“I live here,” Vir said with a sigh, preparing his pebbles. The bullies shirked back instinctively.

“R-Really? I don’t see no home for an Ashborn. Do you?” The hooligan looked at his lackeys, who pretended to search their surroundings. “Don’t see nuthin here!”

Before Vir could react, Maiya had already taken the reins, urging the Ash’va to continue.

Camas stepped up to the wagon and tried to grab Maiya’s arm, but she kicked him off, sending the boy tumbling onto the dirt. Then she yanked the reins, pulling the Ash’va hard to the right—directly on an intercept course with Camas.

The bully blanched. “W-What are you trying to pull? You gonna run us over or what?”

“Huh? Oh! My bad! ‘Don’t see nuthin here’. Must’ve mistaken you for Ash’va dung,” she deadpanned as the Ash’va barreled towards Camas’ lackeys. “Do try to dress yourselves up a bit more next time. You’ll be more visible. Then again… Maybe not.”

The boys dove out of the way to avoid being run over by the massive beasts. Some actually landed in piles of dung.

Vir burst out laughing, which only made them redder.

“You think you’ll get away with this!?”

“Sure do!” Maiya said, sticking her tongue out.

“Why do you even hang out with that chal, anyway?” Camas shouted after the wagon as it left them behind. “Your time’s better spent with us!”

Ah right, he’s got a crush on Maiya these days. How predictable, Vir thought, flashing his friend a glance. How lucky.

He wondered whether he’d fit in with their group, even if they didn’t hate his guts. They might have been an immature and somewhat droll bunch, but at least they had a circle of friends. He… Well, he had Maiya.

Maiya shook her head and sat back down, ignoring them. “Sorry about that. You’d think they’d get bored with bullying you, but I suppose chals never learn.”

Vir chuckled. “They’re all bark and no bite. They think I’ll reap their souls or something. And me being prana scorned means they can say whatever they want and get away with it. But, well, it’s nice not having to deal with them for once. Thanks Maiya.”

Maiya shook her head, but he knew she was secretly happy.

Vir tied the Ash’va up at the modest stable next to his house while Maiya fed them some grass. But when the two approached his home, they found a hooded stranger loitering around the front door. The man was very well dressed, and clearly not from around here.

That’s two strange faces in one day…

“Expecting company?” Maiya asked.

Vir shook his head, immediately on guard.

“Oh? Good day to you! Good day,” the stranger replied in a terse voice.

Maiya sidled up to Vir and whispered, “Is this the Child of Ash you ran into earlier?”

Vir shook his head. “Can I ask what you’re doing here?”

“Ah, nothing, nothing. I’ll be on my way,” the stranger said, leaving in a hurry.

“Wonder what that was all about,” Maiya said. “Maybe someone here for your father?”

“Doubt it. I’ve never seen that man before. Have you?”

Encountering two unfamiliar faces in one day was an incredibly rare occurrence in Brij. Visitors were few and far between.

“Never,” Maiya replied immediately.

“So many strange goings on,” Vir muttered. “I don’t like this one bit.”

Vir fished for the key in his pocket and inserted it into the door. The door had a magical lock, but Rudvik had installed a separate mechanical one to make things more convenient for Vir. Once inside, he washed his hands with water from a bucket. Here again, Magic Tap was the norm in most homes, but Rudvik had prepared water beforehand for his use.

“Oh, come on! It’s exciting, isn’t it?” Maiya said, walking in behind him. “Nothing fun ever happens around here.”

“I dunno, I rather like it when things are simple,” he said, longingly eyeing the brown rice and lentil soup on the table. Rudvik must have made it for him before he’d left for the woods, but it didn’t seem like Maiya wanted to wait.

“It’s cake time!” She said, “Rabbit Hill’s the perfect spot, don’t you think? Been a while since we went there, too,” Maiya said, fidgeting.

“Yeah, it’s been, what? Three whole days?” Vir said.

Maiya rolled her eyes and held up the picnic basket she’d been carrying this entire time. “I’ll race you!”

Vir rolled his eyes back at her. “You know you’ll win… have I ever won a race against you?”

His friend stuck out her tongue, but Vir held her back before she could take off.

“Let’s uh... let’s use the hole, instead.”

“Huh? Why?” Maiya asked, wrinkling her nose at his suggestion. The home’s foundation had rotted right through at the corner of their bedroom. It was worse than that; oversized prana gophers had burrowed a tunnel through. A rather wide tunnel.

Rudvik had taken care of the infestation, but hadn’t yet plugged the tunnel, leaving a gaping hole in their room. While he’d never fit through it, Vir and Maiya barely did. It led thirty paces away, so they sometimes used it a secret entrance.

“In case that guy’s watching...” Vir whispered.

“Hmm. Dad’s gonna be angry about my dirty clothes, but fine. You still won’t beat me that way, y’know?” she said, crawling into the tunnel with her basket. Vir followed right behind her. While she struggled through the tight confines, he swum through it with ease. Neel followed right behind them.

He was hot on her heels until they exited, at which point Maiya broke into a sprint.

Vir panicked, but breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t see the stranger from earlier anywhere in sight.

Neel looked at his master, then at Maiya, then back to Vir, before bounding after her.

Vir wasn’t in the habit of fighting unwinnable battles, so he didn’t even bother to match their pace. His constitution simply wasn’t good enough to exert himself for long, and he’d pushed himself this morning getting to the temple. He’d already begun feeling lightheaded from those earlier exertions.

Ten minutes later, Vir arrived at their ‘spot’—a small knoll with a large tree just outside the village. A picnic cloth had been spread out on the green grass, with rocks placed at each end.

Maiya was busy getting the plates out of her basket, while Neel watched her with rapt attention.

“You did all this for me?” Vir asked.

Maiya looked at him with an expression that said, who else?

“It really isn’t much, Vir,” she said with a sad smile. “I truly wish these things were normal for you. It’s normal for most kids, you know?”

Vir took off his sandals and sat down on the picnic cloth. “I don’t think I’ll ever be ‘normal’ in the way that you mean, but I really appreciate this, Maiya. Thank you.”

Maiya shook her head, all smiles.

He began salivating as soon as Maiya unboxed the cake. It was covered in the same white frosting the baker used on his confections. He’d always wanted to know what those tasted like… and now he would.

“I had no idea you were this good at baking,” Vir said, eyeing the work of art.

“Well, I’ve been practicing,” Maiya said, cutting off a small piece and spearing it with a fork. “Say ahhhh,” she said, bringing the piece dangerously close to Vir’s mouth.

“Oh gods, no way! I’d die of embarrassment,” he said. To Maiya’s chagrin, he carefully took the fork from her and stuck it in his mouth.

Shock rippled through his body as he relished the explosion of sweetness.

“Um, is—is it good?” asked his friend, squirming anxiously. “I couldn’t exactly taste it…”

“It’s the most delicious thing I’ve ever had. This is incredible!”

“That’s nice of you to say, but I’m still a beginner at this stuff,” Maiya said, her face continuing to redden. She looked away, twiddling her thumbs.

Vir helped himself to several more mouthfuls, swearing to himself that each bite he took would be his last, but the temptation was simply overwhelming. Maiya helped herself to a few bites, but was content to look on as Vir devoured her cake. He didn’t know how she managed such self-control.

Vir finally contained himself, saving half the cake for later.

“What’s up? You’re awfully quiet.”

“Just been thinking, is all,” she said, gazing off into the distance.

“Let me guess. You’re thinking of Daha again? The capital?”

Maiya looked him in the eye. “I mean, come on, Vir. This village is so boring! Can you imagine growing up just to be like your parents? Having kids who do exactly the same thing you do? Isn’t that depressing? Isn’t that scary?”

“Being the head priest doesn’t seem that bad though…” Vir began, but Maiya’s stare made him reconsider. To be honest, he’d love to have Apramor’s job. It was probably the best job in the entire village. Apramor had respect and authority and the entire village loved him. But that wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

Vir chose his words carefully. This wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation, and he didn’t want it to end in an argument like it always did. Especially not today. “I can see the appeal, Maiya. But I’d rather just help Rudvik out in the forest. He works himself to the bone to put food on the table for both of us. I want to contribute. I just want…” I want people to treat me like everyone else.

“You want to use magic,” Maiya completed, giving him a knowing look.

“Well, that too. A little would be nice. Just enough to open doors and light candles. It’d make life a heckuva lot easier. Say, d’you know anything about sensing magic? Like, do you know how the mejai do it? Do they do it? Do they hear voices in their head or anything like that?”

Maiya shook her head. “Hmm, I dunno. But I swear I’ll find out one day. I’m going to be a mejai, Vir! A fire mejai. Someone famous.”

“Uh, huh. You don’t even have a lesser affinity for fire magic. How do you figure that’s going to happen?”

Maiya stared out into the distance, her chin held high. “It’ll manifest. I’m still growing. And we don’t know that for sure, right? I mean, dad hasn’t let me test my magic for a whole year! I could have an affinity and we wouldn’t even know. Just have a good feeling about it, y’know?”

“Right…” Vir was pretty sure that wasn’t how affinities worked. Children were either born with it, or manifested it by age fifteen at the latest. He himself hadn’t developed an affinity. And Maiya was one year his senior…

“I hope you get what you want, Maiya. I truly do. Even if you only want fire magic to match your red hair,” he teased.

“That’s not why!” She huffed as she walked up to the leafless tree that dominated the knoll.

Vir was pretty sure that was why, but he didn’t argue.

His mind drifted back to the monumental hurdle he needed to overcome. Vir didn’t even know where his confidence came from. How was he going to obtain magic? He simply didn’t have enough knowledge about the subject. He needed a mentor, someone who knew the ins and outs of prana. Apramor was the closest Brij had to a mejai, but even his knowledge fell short.

“Maiya, wait! That’s dangerous,” he said, noticing his friend climbing clumsily up the tree. “You remember the last time you fell from there? I had to carry you all the way back to your father.”

“I’ll be fiiine,” his friend said, right as her leg slipped off. She barely caught herself in time. Maiya was many things, but an expert climber she was not.

“Don’t worr—wait…” She said, staring off into the distance.

“What? What is it?”

“Vir! Come up here. Hurry!”

He grasped a limb and vaulted himself up. When it came to acrobatics, few could hold a candle to him… Just that he couldn’t maintain the exertion for long.

“There! To the west by the Godshollow!”

He followed Maiya’s gaze and peered into the distance. When he saw what she saw, his eyes widened. The haze of the midday sun made them somewhat difficult to discern, but there was no mistaking those silhouettes. “Hiranyan cavalry?”

“Looks like there’s almost twenty of them!” Maiya said.

Some wore full plate armor, while others wore brigandine over a black gambeson. All carried polearms and swords, riding their armored Ash’va.

“We should head back. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“Agreed,” Vir replied. Hiranyan soldiers had never once been to their village. Why now?

A chill ran down his back. What if they’re here for me?